FIFA 13

FIFA isn’t just one of the most recognizable sports game. It’s also one of the most popular gaming franchises. With millions of players playing online and offline as well as watching people stream, you’d have to be living under a rock to not know this EA staple. Throughout its incredibly long run, the series has gone through various stages of evolution but none as profoundly influential as the one that came with FIFA 13. With new gameplay features and drastic changes to the FIFA Ultimate Team mode, FIFA 13 quickly became one of the most critically acclaimed titles of the series.

Kinect and Move

With both Sony and Microsoft taking a page out of Nintendo’s motion control book, the Move controllers and Kinect camera were both features every developer tried to put into their game. FIFA 13 was no different.

It was the first title in the series to experiment with this type of control scheme, albeit with unremarkable results. On the one end, Kinect allowed for voice controls and recognition. The most hilarious aspect was the way the game registered your reactions to a referee decision. Were you to curse like a sailor during a seemingly unjust red card, the game would make note of your “passionate” reaction. This along with the motion controls on the PS Move were interesting gimmicks but ultimately had little influence on the franchise.

Gameplay Evolutions

FIFA 13’s gameplay changes were what arguably made it an influential point in the franchise’s history. Specifically, the 1st Touch Control opened up a whole new world of ball control. With the press of a button, you were able to receive or take control of the ball near perfectly so that you can line up shots and passes more dexterously. Player AI was also given a boost by enabling your CPU controlled teammates to analyze the space in front of them and take other actions besides running forward aimlessly. Updates to Complete Dribbling also made ball control and manoeuvring much smoother.

FUT Changes

Outside of minor tweaks and changes to the mode’s UI and menu flow, FIFA 13’s FUT mode received two key changes. For starters, it also included Seasons, just like in the main game, to keep things fresh. By including Seasons, FUT players were given bigger goals to strive for and more reasons to consider updating their roster. FIFA 13’s version of FUT also made FUT Coins the staple currency the mode makes use of to this day.

Pros

• 1st Touch Control and Complete Dribbling allow for incredible ball control flexibility.
• FUT Seasons made the mode more engaging, especially in single player.

Cons

• Kinect and Move implementations were funny but gimmicky and had no bearing on the game as a whole.